Portable abrading tool



Dec. 23, 1958 o. F. HIPKINS PORTABLE ABRADING TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 15, 1957 m mfg? m N\ 4 TTORNQ Y8 Dec. 23, 1-958 0. F. HIPKINS PORTABLE ABRADING TOOL.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 15, 1957 JTTDRNEYS vPQRTABLE ABRADING TOOL Otho F. Hipkins, Tampa, Fla.

Appiication March 15, 1957, Serial No. 646,416

2 (Ilaims. (Cl. 51-170) The present invention relates to a portable abrading tool.

An object of the present invention is to provide a portable abrading tool which lends itself to abrading, filing, honing, cutting, or sanding of metal or other surfaces without subjecting the user thereof to excessive fatigue due to vibration or backlash of the tool.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable abrading tool which lends itself to efficient abrading of a surface with a minimum of effort required of a user, one which is of sturdy construction and simple. in structure, one which is economical to manufacture and assemble, and one which is highly efficient in action.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the portable abrading tool according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view;

Figure 3 is a view partially in section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, with a portion of the-motor housing broken away;

Figure 4 is a top plan view, partially in section, with a portion of the tool admitted; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the portable abrading tool according to the present invention comprises an upstanding housing having side walls 11 and 12, a top 13 extending from one end to the other end of the housing 10 and connecting the upper ends of the side walls 11 and 12 together, and a bottom 14 extending below the housing It and connecting the lower ends of the side walls 11 and 12 together. The bottom 14 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 15 extending from one end of the housing 10 to the other end and connected in communication with the open forward end of the housing, as indicated at 16 in Figure 3.

A pair of longitudinally extending horizontally disposed carriages 17 and 18, each carrying a metal working file 19 on its lower surface and constituting with such file 19'an abrading element, are positioned in side by side relation longitudinally of and within the housing 10 and having the portion adjacent the lower ends carrying the files l9 protruding through the slot 15. Means is provided connecting the carriages 17 and 18 to the housing 10 for limited sliding movement therealong. Specifically, this means consists in a pair of transversely arranged fixed shafts 21 and 22 positioned in parallel spaced relation, the shaft 21 being inwardly of and spaced from the forward end of the housing 10 and the shaft 22 being inwardly of and spaced from the rearward end of the housing 10. The side walls 11 and 12 of the housing id have open portions over which extend a pair of covers 23 and 24, respectively, the end portions of ice the shafts 21 and 22 are journaled in the side walls 11 and 12 exteriorly of the covers 23 and 24, as shown in Figure 1.

A plurality of rollers are carried on each of the shafts 21 and 22 in identical manner and are seen in detail in Figure 5 with reference to the shaft 22. The rollers are designated by the reference numerals 25 to 28, inclusive,

and are arranged in end to end relation along'the shaft 22. The rollers 25 and 26 support the one carriage 17 and the rollers 27 and 28 support the carriage 18. Similar rollers on the shaft 21 support the other end of the carriages 17 and 18. Each of the carriages 17 and 18 have closed slots 29 and 31 receiving the rollers associated with the shafts 21 and 22, respectively.

An electric motor housing 32 is positioned longitudinally of and adjacent the rear end of the housing 10 andis provided with a rotatable drive shaft 33 projecting from one end thereof and within the housing 10. The drive shaft 33 is connected by a spur gear 34 to a driving gear 35 on the motor shaft 36, the gears 34 and 35 constituting a gear reduction unit.

The worm gear 37 is secured to the free end portion of the drive shaft 33 remote from the spur gear 34.

A rotatable driven shaft 38 is arranged transversely of the worm gear 37 and carries a spur gear 39 in mesh with the worm gear 37. A box element, designated generally by the reference numeral 40, is positioned within the housing 10 between the side walls 11 and 12 and has vertically extending sides 41 and 42 in which are suitable bearings 43 supporting the portions of the driven shaft 38 inwardly of each end of the latter.

Crank means, embodying an eccentric member 44, is secured to each end portion of the driven shaft 38. Each of the eccentric members 44 carry a slidable ring 45 thereon having an arm 46 projecting from one side thereof. An extension 47 having two bends therein is threadedly connected to the free end of each of the arms 46 by one end and has its other end threadedly secured in a pivotal coupling member 48. Each coupling member 48 has its free end remote from the extension 47 threadedly secured between upstanding lugs 49 provided on the free end of each of the carriages 17 and 18.

The housing 10 is provided at one end with a knobtype handle 50 and at the other end with a pistol-type handle having a conventional trigger slit 61 mounted therein.

Each of the rings 45 is secured to the adjacent eccentric member 44 by means of a detachable plate 51 secured thereto by a machine screw 52. While the files 19 are shown attached by other machine screws 53 to the undersurfaces of the carriages 17 and 18, other abrading or surface-working too-ls may be similarly secured to the carriages 17 and 18, as desired.

In operation, upon rotation of the driven shaft 33 within the housing 10, the worm gear 37 turns the spur gear 39 and causes the rotary movement of each of the eccentric members 44. Upon rotation of the members 44, the rings 45 describe eccentric paths to effect the reciprocating movement of the respective arm 46, the associated extension 47, the attached coupling member 48 and the associated one of the carriages 17 and 18 in opposite directions and simultaneously. The abrading tool according to the present invention is intended to be constructed of lightweight material such as cast aluminum so that the tool may be handled with comparative ease while working a surface of an automobile body as an instance. Due to the reciprocatory movement of the files 19 in opposite directions relative to each other, there is no backlash or excessive vibration which would cause fatigue in the user when continued over a period of time. The tool of the present invention, therefore, is seen to be an improvement over presently constructed abrading tools which have a single blade mounted for reciprocatory movement on the tool.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable abrading tool comprising an upstanding housing having a bottom provided with a longitudinally extending slot, a pair of longitudinally extending horizontally disposed carriages each carrying an abrading element on its lower surface positioned in side by side relation longitudinally of and within said housing and having the abrading elements projecting through said slot, a pair of spaced fixed shafts carried by said housing and extending transversely of said housing, spaced rotatable rollers on each of said fixed shafts, each of said carriages having a pair of closed slots arranged in tandem relation, the rollers of one of said shafts being received within one of the complemental slots of said carriages and the rollers of the other of said shafts being received within the other of the co-mplemental slots of said carriages, a rotatable drive shaft within said housing, and means connecting said carriages to said drive shaft for simultaneous reciprocating movement of said carriages in opposite directions responsive to the rotary movement of said shaft.

2. A portable abrading tool comprising an upstanding housing having a bottom provided with a longitudinally extending slot, a pair of longitudinally extending horizontally disposed carriages each carrying an abrading element on its lower surface positioned in side by side relation longitudinally of and within said housing and having the abrading elements projecting through said slot, a pair of spaced fixed shafts carried by said housing and extending'transversely of said housing, spaced rotatable rollers on each of said fixed shafts, each of said carriages having a pair of closed slots arranged in tandem relation, the rollers of one of said shafts being received within one of the complemental slots of said carriages and the rollers of the other of said shafts being received within the other of the complemental slots of said carriages, a rotatable drive shaft arranged longitudinally of and within said housing, and means connecting said carriages to said drive shaft for simultaneous reciprocating movement of said carriages in opposite directions responsive to the rotary movement of said drive shaft, said means embodying a rotatable driven shaft extending transversely of said drive shaft adjacent the end of the latter and having the ends thereof journaled in said housing, cooperating gear means on said one end of said drive shaft and on said driven shaft intermediate the ends thereof for effecting the rotation of said driven shaft responsive to the rotary movement of said drive shaft, and crank means connecting the portion of said driven shaft inwardly of each end thereof to the adjacent carriages for simultaneous reciprocatory movement of said carriages.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,761,059 Van Norman June 3, 1930 1,818,361 Schwabe Aug. 11, 1931 2,282,648 Drefahl May 12, 1942 2,493,226 Cole Jan. 3, 1950 

